{"id":5672,"date":"2021-03-26T06:36:34","date_gmt":"2021-03-26T06:36:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/techclot.com\/index.php\/2021\/03\/26\/missing-in-person-interaction-berkeleys-design-school-launches-virtual-reality-building\/"},"modified":"2021-03-26T06:36:34","modified_gmt":"2021-03-26T06:36:34","slug":"missing-in-person-interaction-berkeleys-design-school-launches-virtual-reality-building","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/techclot.com\/index.php\/2021\/03\/26\/missing-in-person-interaction-berkeleys-design-school-launches-virtual-reality-building\/","title":{"rendered":"Missing in-person interaction, Berkeley’s design school launches virtual reality building"},"content":{"rendered":"

Missing in-person interaction, Berkeley’s design school launches virtual reality building<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a><\/p>\n

Virtual Bauer Wurster\u2019s digital studio desk space will allow students and instructors in the College of Environmental Design to connect and collaborate on projects. (Photo courtesy of Luisa Caldas)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

A team of UC Berkeley students and virtual reality specialists in the College of Environmental Design (CED) have found a way to visit Bauer Wurster Hall, the college\u2019s iconic hulking concrete home building, without stepping foot on campus.<\/p>\n

The team, led by Berkeley architecture professor and XR Lab<\/a> director Luisa Caldas<\/a>, recently launched \u201cVirtual Bauer Wurster,\u201d a fully immersive virtual reality program that allows CED students and faculty to wander exhibit spaces, review models and engage almost like they used to from the comfort and safety of their own homes, using just a computer.<\/p>\n

The project was initially created as a tool to replace the spark of in-person interactions lost when Berkeley moved to remote learning a year ago. But the platform will stick around long after the campus reopens, said Vishaan Chakrabarti, dean of the school.<\/p>\n

\u201cStudents and faculty can create their own experiences and communicate in dozens of ways while participating in collaborative projects and experiencing each other\u2019s work as they would in-person,\u201d Chakrabarti said. \u201cWe hope this new virtual space can provide a stopgap for our current circumstances and new possibilities for the future of online learning.\u201d<\/p>\n

The virtual space is the first of its kind at Berkeley, and can be accessed by CED students and faculty through a custom application and\/or a web-based platform created by Caldas and her team of architecture and computer science students. Users create an avatar that represents them and can simulate walking through Bauer Wurster Hall, passing through familiar stairwells, courtyards and other areas of the 10-floor building.<\/p>\n

\"Luisa<\/a><\/p>\n

Luisa Caldas is an architecture professor and director of the XR Lab. (UC Berkeley photo)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Participants can browse graduate thesis model displays or student and faculty reviews pinned to digital whiteboards in the lobby. There is also potential to connect with other students and faculty in the building through Slack messaging or Zoom video.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow do you communicate inside a virtual environment so that it isn\u2019t an isolated experience, but a collective one? That\u2019s ultimately what we wanted to achieve,\u201d said Caldas, who is an expert in immersive environments and augmented reality. \u201cWe want students to be able to create synchronous interactions in the space and have tools that fit their style of communication.\u201d<\/p>\n

CED Ph.D. student Elnaz Bailey was one of 10 students who helped Caldas design the platform and said the most unique aspect of the program is the studio space that provides a desk for each student. Users have the ability to leave their classmates a digital sticky note or message.<\/p>\n

Bailey said students can also upload their 2D drawings and 3D models to their desks. Their colleagues can then choose to click into those designs for a closer look.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey can actually go into your project, so it\u2019s like you\u2019re hosting an open house for your work,\u201d said Bailey, who helped design exhibitions and interaction functions on the platform. \u201cI think that\u2019s the most powerful part of this project. They can walk into your space and give you feedback or learn from what you did to apply to their work.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n